Both the Lakers and the Rockets have opened their training camps for the upcoming season, which means the summer’s drama involving Dwight Howard and his free agent decision is now officially behind us.
At media day in Houston, Howard made the cold but realistic statement that he left the Lakers because he wanted to win — something tangible that went above and beyond the emotionally-charged points about not getting along with Kobe Bryant, not liking his fit in Mike D’Antoni’s system, or not being comfortable with the championship-level pressures of playing in Los Angeles.
Howard expounded upon his reasons for leaving, and if you set aside all of those intangible arguments, it’s tough to say he didn’t make the right decision.
From Sam Amick of USA Today:
“A lot of people say, ‘Well, if you would’ve waited a couple years, then this could’ve been yours (with the Lakers),’ And I’m like, ‘In a couple years, I’m 30,'” Howard said. “I don’t want to wait. I’ve been in the league 10 years. I don’t want to wait for things to happen. I want to be aggressive, to make things happen. And I’m looking at all these young guys who are just ready, and they’re missing one piece. And I’m like, ‘I could be that piece, and I don’t want to miss my chance.
“James Harden doesn’t come by every 10 years. It doesn’t happen. It’s no knock on other players who I played with, but you’re talking about all these guys who are young and are going this way, going up, so I’m like, ‘Man, this is a great spot for me. A great town, great organization.’ They’re going this way (points up).”
“Other teams have more history, but yesterday’s scores don’t win today’s games,” he said. “You’ve got to look at the now. What’s in the now? What can we do now? Nobody cared about what I did eight years ago, they want to know what I can do now, and it’s the perfect team for me.”
If you’re one of the people that feels negatively about Howard over the way he’s carried himself the past two seasons, then you should go read the entire interview. Howard comes across as level-headed and focused, and even explains his feelings about how the news of his decision came out — which is fairly amusing, considering he’s complaining about it to the man who broke the story.
Howard makes salient points, and the reality is that anyone who watched his interactions with his teammates last season knows that despite all of the injuries, Howard was never a good fit in Los Angeles. No matter how things play out in Houston, it’s already clear he made the best personal decision possible.
